


The Fool

by StainlessSteelShipping (kistytac)



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Double Date, F/M, Jealousy, Love Confessions, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-10 21:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13509762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kistytac/pseuds/StainlessSteelShipping
Summary: When Kukui invites Molayne out for drinks, telling him his crush is going to be there, Molayne hopes for a chance to let her know his feelings. He gets his chance, although not under the circumstances he hoped for.





	The Fool

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I was gonna use the prompt "First Kiss" for this, but then I changed my mind halfway through and turned it into a confession fic. Enjoy!

“Only fools rush in to love.”

It was an old saying among the Kahunas of Alola. The piece of wisdom was considered common knowledge, and was advice that most people found themselves needing to take at some point in their lives.

Molayne had always considered himself to be pretty level-headed. Growing up, he had always been the one trying to convince his more rambunctious friends and classmates not to get in over their heads. Even in his days taking on the island challenge with Kukui, Molayne was the one who was always having to reel his companion back in from going overboard with his general overzealousness. Later on, Molayne’s Trial had been considered one of the cleverest in its day, and between developing the region’s PC system and running the observatory now that he was an adult, you’d have been hard pressed to find anyone in Alola who would consider him any sort of “fool.”

This was why it was so hard for him to understand why he had fallen so hard and fast for that mysterious young woman Nanu had introduced him to barely a month before. Apparently having come to Alola through an Ultra Wormhole, Nanu was trying to find a way to safely get her back home and was recruiting just about every scientist in Alola to help. It was only a matter of time before they found a way, Molayne knew, and the very idea made him sick to his stomach.

It wasn’t just because he had feelings for her. He had had crushes before that never worked out, so heartbreak was nothing new to him. No, it was because she had told him on the day they’d met that she didn’t want to go back. Her reasons why were as plentiful as his for loving her, and he knew that he couldn’t do that to her in good conscience. Not when he could potentially help her build a safer, happier home here, in Alola, perhaps even with him…

Okay, maybe his feelings for her _did_ play a factor.

Regardless, Molayne knew that his opportunities to get to know her were limited, and each day that she wasn’t his was another one wasted.

So, when Kukui called up his old friend to invite him out for drinks, making sure to mention that Burnet had already invited Celina along, Molayne almost literally jumped at the chance.

“So anyway, we figured since Nanu had asked us all the way out to Ula’Ula anyway, we’d at least go out tonight, yeah? Of course the old Kahuna isn’t up for much, but your girlfriend seemed excited, especially after I mentioned inviting you along!” Kukui laughed, and Molayne was thankful that his friend couldn’t see his face over the phone. Kukui had been teasing Molayne about his crush ever since he had found out about it, and each time Molayne became a total mess as his mind would begin to wander in the direction of Kukui’s suggestion.

“W-well, I guess I’ll meet you all there! You said at 7?” Molayne said, confirming the time as he tried to push thoughts of Celina being his girlfriend down long enough to answer. Cuddling, kissing, holding hands… Such an opportunity would have been a dream come true for him.

“Yep! See ya then, cousin!” Kukui chirped before hanging up. Molayne took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair.

He had hung out with Celina casually a couple of times before, but this was going to be different. Kukui and Burnet were the kind of couple that could barely keep their hands off of each other, and Molayne knew his old friend well enough to figure out that they were trying to set this up to be some kind of double-date. There was no way that Molayne was going to be able to pretend this was just a simple outing with friends.

He looked up at the clock, and steeled himself. He didn’t have much time.

 

Around the block from The Sushi High Roller was a small dive that sold mainly drinks, but did have a kitchen that made small plates. Kukui preferred it to the high end restaurant, mainly because he didn’t have to put on a shirt to eat at this place.

Molayne had arrived first, so he went to sit at the bar. He had just ordered himself a drink when the others came in right behind him, and when Kukui spotted his friend, he went up to slap him on the back.

“There ya are! Don’t tell me you started partying without us, yeah?” He laughed, “Come on, the ladies found a table.”

“Oh, I just ordered one drink,” Molayne admitted sheepishly, sliding off of his barstool. At that moment, however, the bartender placed his glass of beer down, so Molayne grabbed it while Kukui took the chance to order drinks for himself and the girls.

When Molayne turned to see them sitting at one of the small tables by the wall, he almost spilled his beer on himself. Celina was wearing a dark blue, low-cut dress, and was fiddling with the knee-length skirt nervously as she spoke to Burnet. Her hair was half-up, like usual, but this time she was using an elegant-looking Butterfree clip to hold it. Suddenly, Burnet looked up and noticed Molayne approaching them, so she waved him over, and that’s when Celina looked up to see him as well.

Suddenly, he felt like he should have at least tried to clean himself up a little better after work. He’d taken a shower and changed, and even tried a little bit of cologne that he never usually bothered touching. But he still looked more or less the same, and he even grabbed his usual jacket without thinking about it.

“H-hello ladies,” Molayne said, before inwardly cringing at how cliché that must have sounded. Still, Burnet laughed, and Celina was smiling as she gestured to the seat next to her. Molayne was shaking a bit as he took it, setting his beer down in front of him.

“How’ve you been?” Celina asked as Molayne began to take a sip of his beer, which he almost choked on in his haste to respond.

“I-I’ve been well!” He exclaimed, coughing a little, “H-how about you? Y-you look amazing…”

He clapped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he had said, and Burnet couldn’t hold back another laugh as Celina thanked him, casting her eyes downwards as she played with her hair. Before Molayne could say anything else, Kukui had reached them, carrying the rest of their drinks, and soon they were all swept up in cheerful conversation.

Celina had finished her glass Pinap Berry Wine before the rest of the group, something that impressed Molayne and Kukui.

“You can really drink!” Kukui laughed as he picked up his own beer, “Not many girls your size can handle that!”

“I’ve had practice!” Celina replied, laughing as well. With the alcohol in her system, Molayne had noticed that her little nervous tics had all but ceased, and she seemed much more relaxed now than when she’d first arrived. He found himself smiling at her as he finished his own beer, something that did not go unnoticed by Kukui.

“Hey hey, don’t go getting any slick ideas now, cousin!” He laughed, reaching over to lightly shove at Molayne’s shoulder. Molayne’s eyes widened as he began to blush wildly, and turned to Kukui, trying to hide his face from Celina.

“I-I’m not-!” he started, but immediately cut himself off when he felt Celina’s hand on his shoulder.

“Pssh, I think he’d be the one that has to look out for me when I’m like this!” She joked, letting her arm slide over his shoulder, and dangling her hand over his chest. Molayne froze up, completely unsure of how to react to the sudden touch and implications of her words.

“I think you broke him,” Burnet said with a giggle, grinning at Molayne’s utterly shocked expression. He was opening and closing his mouth wordlessly, and it wasn’t until Celina finally pulled away from him that he relaxed at all.

“Sorry, sorry,” She apologized, grinning, “I’m just messing around. I just can’t stand it when guys try to make me seem like I’m some meek little girl.”

She stuck her tongue out at Kukui as Burnet gave her a high-five, and all Molayne could do was stare at her while he caught his breath again. Nothing would have made him happier than having her be the one to come on to him. All the doubt would be eliminated, and he would be able to just quietly accept her feelings, but… No, of course it would be too good to be true.

Luckily for Molayne, he didn’t have much time to dwell on his thoughts because their food arrived then, and soon the incident had been all but forgotten as they stuffed their faces with their cheap but tasty dinner and ordered another round.

Soon, their plates were empty, and their bellies full, and Molayne and Kukui were discussing one last drink before heading out for the night.

“I’m more than good,” Burnet said, her head leaning on her husband’s shoulder as she smiled sleepily, “but you guys can go on ahead.”

“I’ll have one last one,” Celina piped up, and Kukui gave her an incredulous look.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his brow beginning to furrow in concern, but she just nodded her head and reached out for Molayne’s arm.

“Big Mo’ll keep me safe on the way home!” She laughed, hugging his arm to her chest. He let out a small squeak as she did so, and their companions just grinned to each other.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to compliment you on your hair clip all night,” Burnet said to Celina while Kukui ordered the last round, “Where did you get it? It’s so pretty.”

“Oh!” Celina let go of Molayne’s arm to reach back and touch the clip, smiling as she blushed slightly, “It… was a gift.”

Kukui and Burnet immediately turned and looked at Molayne, who simply shrugged at them. It certainly wasn’t from him, though now he was finding himself wishing that he had thought to give her something before now. Her dreamy expression as she touched the clip was making his heart sink to know that it wasn’t for him.

“From who?” Burnet pressed when Celina didn’t continue, and immediately she started shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

“I… I don’t wanna say.” Her face was going bright red and soon she was covering it in embarrassment.

“Oh ho? Well now you _gotta_ tell us!” Burnet laughed as their drinks arrived. Celina and Molayne grabbed theirs first, each of them anxious at this line of questioning, but for entirely different reasons.

“Come on,” Kukui said, reaching for his own beer while Molayne began to sip from his, “we won’t judge you, yeah? Just tell us!”

“Ugh, fine,” Celina finally relented, hesitating before she continued, “…It’s from Guzma.”

Molayne choked on his beer and immediately had a coughing fit.

“Oh no! Are you okay?” Celina asked him, reaching for his arm again. Molayne put up a finger to signal for her to wait while he collected himself, and neither of them saw the concerned glance that the married couple exchanged.

“I’m sorry,” Molayne apologized once he had caught his breath, “I-I just… Did you say _Guzma_ gave you that as a gift?”

This was awful. Guzma was charming and charismatic, strong and masculine, confident in himself and basically everything that Molayne wasn’t. He could have any girl he wanted, and if he had set his sights on her, Molayne knew that he would never have a chance.

“Y-yeah… He comes by to see Nanu every so often when one of his grunts gets in hot water…” Celina was staring into her glass now, nervously twirling her hair in her fingers, “But last time he came by, he gave me this and, well. I mean, I think it’s pretty, and this seemed like a good chance to wear it!”

“Well, it is very pretty,” Burnet conceded, her husband nodding in agreement as he took another big gulp of his beer.

“Yeah,” Molayne agreed as stared at Celina with a heavy heart, “It really suits you.”

“T-thank you…” she said, smiling to herself as she turned back to her own drink.

They were rather quieter after that, and Molayne, Kukui, and Celina all finished their drinks relatively quickly. Soon, they were all outside and the couples were bidding each other goodbye before Kukui and Burnet left for the Ferry Terminal, while Molayne began to lead Celina back to Nanu’s.

Their walk was quiet. Molayne couldn’t stop thinking about his fear that Guzma was going to snatch her up before he could. He could feel himself shaking, and so when Celina reached out to take his arm, he pulled it away from her, afraid to let her know how worked up he was over this.

“Molayne, what’s wrong?” She asked quietly, her voiced tinged with hurt. As if his heart could have broken anymore.

“…I just,” Molayne started after a slight hesitation, then ran his hand through his hair nervously as he trailed off. How on Earth could he possibly explain this to her without putting everything out there?

When he didn’t finish his sentence, Celina spoke again, her voice so quiet Molayne almost couldn’t hear it.

“You know… Burnet thinks she’s made a breakthrough,” She started, her eyes glued to her feet as she kept walking, “I’ll probably be able to go home soon. That’s why they came to Nanu’s today, you know.”

Molayne stopped in his tracks as a chilly wind blew past them from the direction of the perpetual storm over Po Town. They were getting close enough to the walled city that the clouds had all but completely obscured the moon now, but when Celina stopped and turned to look back at Molayne, he could still see how close she was to crying.

“Please… I don’t want to leave on bad terms with you. You’re really one of the… The best people I’ve met here. I-I’ve really liked getting to know you…” He could hear it in her voice now too. The slight warble in her voice as she did her best not to break down in front of him.

Molayne’s head was spinning. Just a few minutes ago, his biggest threat had been the idea of Guzma giving her a present, but now, suddenly, she was telling him that she was leaving Alola entirely so soon…

“C-Celina…” Molayne whispered her name, and took a step toward her, “Please don’t think it’s anything like that. Y-you… I-I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you too… You’re so smart, a-and easy to talk to, and then you’re so kind as well, n-not to mention beautiful…”

Molayne heard the words come out of his mouth, and stopped himself. The beer was starting to get to his head. He looked at Celina, expecting her to look offended, or at least shocked, but was surprised to see her stepping closer to him now, appearing more confused than anything.

She stopped just inches from him, looking up at him, and Molayne could see the remnants of tears glistening in her eyes. Her face was flushed and she parted her lips as if she was going to say something, but no sound came out. Molayne could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he looked down at her, this beautiful young woman he had fallen so badly in love with.

Ah hell. He’d already said too much, he might as well go all the way.

“I-I… I don’t want you to leave… Y-you really mean a lot to me, Celina, a-and I…” With shaking hands, Molayne reached forward and took hers gently, “I just… I have feelings for you…”

He was sweating, his heart was beating hard and fast, and his stomach was churning as he waited for a response from her. It felt to him like she took forever to process it, but his first answer came when she gently squeezed his hands with her own, and when he looked at her, he saw her smiling sweetly at him.

“Mo…” she whispered his nickname so quietly he could barely hear it, but the affection behind it was clear. Then, somewhat slowly and carefully, she let go of Molayne’s hands to wrap her arms around his shoulders, nuzzling her face into his neck.

Molayne’s heart leapt into his throat at the contact. He could feel sparks shoot through his entire body when her lips grazed his skin, and he swallowed thickly as he slowly wrapped his own arms around her waist. She pressed her body against his, and Molayne was in heaven. She was so soft, and warm despite the chilly breeze.

All too soon, however, she pulled away a bit and looked up at him. She looked ready to cry again.

“I-I don’t want to leave either… I want to be with you…”

Molayne couldn’t help himself anymore. He pulled her against him once again, cradling her head to his chest. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he nuzzled the top of her head gently, inhaling the vanilla scent of her shampoo.

“T-then let’s be together,” he whispered, “W-we can talk to Nanu, a-and Burnet too… I-I won’t let you leave if you don’t want to…”

Her arms were back around him once again, squeezing him tightly. Her body was shaking suddenly too, and soon Molayne realized it was because she was crying. Alarmed, he tried to pull away to look at her, but she only squeezed him tighter. He felt her shaking her head against his chest, so he simply sighed and held her close once more.

They were quiet for a few minutes while he continued to absentmindedly stroke her hair, when his fingers brushed against the Butterfree clip. Suddenly, he remembered all of his earlier concerns about Guzma sweeping her off of her feet before he could get the chance. Well, it seemed that part was now settled, but there was still the fact that he had given her this gift in the first place, an act he knew to be rather out of character for the Team Skull Boss.

“What about Guzma though?” He asked, pulling away to look down at Celina, who had calmed down rather considerably by now.

“W-what about him?” She said with a sniffle, and reached up to rub her nose. Molayne reached out to touch her clip again, and her eyes went wide suddenly. Then she broke down into a fit of giggles as she reached for one of Molayne’s hands.

“Oh well…” She laughed, “I guess your attack was just more effective!”

Hand-in-hand, she and Molayne walked the rest of the way back to Nanu’s house.


End file.
